On September 21, 1953, U.S. airmen at Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, Korea, were startled to see landing a MiG-15, the most advanced Soviet-built fighter plane of the era, piloted by Senior Lieutenant No Kum-Sok, a 21-year-old North Korean Air Force officer. Once he landed, Lieutenant No found that his mother had escaped to the South two years earlier, and they were soon reunited. At his request, No came to the United States and became a U.S. citizen. His story provides a unique insight into how North Korea conducted the Korean War and how he came to the decision to leave his homeland.

No Kum-Sok lives in Florida.

The late J. Roger Osterholm lived in Florida.

No Kum-Sok with J. Roger Osterholm

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 231
Bibliographic Info: 17 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007 [1996]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3106-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0068-0
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Preface by No Kum-Sok      1
Foreword by J.R. Osterholm      3

1. Crossing the Line      7
2. Growing Up Under the Japanese      18
3. Maturing Under the Communists      32
4. North Korean Naval Academy      42
5. The Korean War Breaks Out      51
6. The Allies Retreat      61
7. Volunteer for the Unknown      68
8. Flight Training in Manchuria      76
9. Flying the MiG-15      84
10. Aerial Combat Against F-86 Sabres      96
11. Battles in MiG Alley      105
12. The End of the Manchurian Sanctuary      114
13. Communist Party Membership      124
14. Struggle for Survival      129
15. Final Decision to Flee      139
16. Interrogation      145
17. America Tests the MiG-15bis      158
18. What an Interesting Country      166
19. My Early Adjustment      173
20. Success      183
21. Retrospective on North and South Korea      193

Epilogue      203
Bibliography      207
Index      209